Cheap Water Softeners

“Why can’t I just buy one of those $500 GE/Whirlpool softeners?” As a company that specializes in water softeners, of course we get this question a lot. I don’t blame people for asking. Of course a cheap option always makes you wonder. Does it work? Why are the other ones so expensive compared to this? The short answer is that these cheaper options do not last. Their warranty, upkeep involved, and value are not worth it. You’re better off spending some more money early on, to save yourself time and more cost down the road. For those looking for the long answer, I’ve narrowed it down to three main points.

The first being the Warranty. Whirlpool offers a 2 year parts and labor warranty. They also offer an “Up to 10 year warranty on parts and labor,” when you purchase their Whirlpool water softener cleanser. So technically to actually get any of the warranties, you have to purchase their cleanser every year, AND use it. Even better, to actually get this warranty you now have to keep your receipts from the cleanser purchases. So if you really want that 10 year warranty on your softener, you must continue to buy their cleansers every year and keep all your receipts to eventually prove that you have a warranty on the product. That is, if the softener actually lasts that long. Now let's compare all of this to the Clack Control Valve on top of a Watts or Nelsen Water Softener and compare their warranty. Watts and Nelsen are two of our distributors and they build the softeners (provide the resin tanks, brine tanks, and media within the softener) and put certain control valves on top of them. For example, the Clack WS100 Valve is our most popular valve. Clack’s controls valves have a 5 year warranty and they have a 10 year warranty on the resin tank (The 10 year warranty is through the distributors of the Clack valves). Clack's solid warranty has proven that they stand behind their products. Their warranty also only requires the regular upkeep of salt, no extra cleaning purchases to be made.

The second part is the upkeep involved with these softeners. Like you just read, to even get the warranty, you must continue to use the water softener cleanser along with regular salt maintenance. GE/WP softeners also have very unique parts that not all softeners have. For example, when you get a Clack water softener, you’re guaranteed that any water treatment specialist can work on it due to the basic design and standard parts. Based on some reviews I’ve read, getting someone to come to maintain your Whirlpool softener is a little difficult. Certain models are only sold at lowes and getting them to recommend someone to come service it is quite the job itself. Trying to do any upkeep on these types of softeners will leave you with wasted energy and time.

My last point is that you’re getting what you pay for. Obviously these smaller softeners are cheaper. Cheaper things are not made to last longer. If you just want a cheap option to get some of the white film out of your water and you know you’re only going to be in the home for a year or so, then maybe it is the best option for you. But what some customers don’t know is that not every home needs the same water softener. Where we are located, we see a lot of customers with homes that have high chlorine levels. For these homes we recommend a dual tank option. The first tank has a bed of carbon in it. This carbon helps filter out the chlorine before the water hits the softener. Your home is unique and deserves a quality product that is specialized for your water.

Investing in a good product upfront will save you maintenance cost, replacement cost, and your own time. Every good water treatment specialist knows that GE/WP softeners are just not made to last. They don't tell you this so they can charge you more for a bigger softener. Take it from me, our dream customer is one we can install a system and they never have issues again. If we really wanted to rob you of money, we would recommend one of the cheap softeners and we would be knocking at your door every 1-3 years ready to sell you another one. Water softeners are something that should be installed and then left alone to do their thing. They should have a solid warranty, be easy to upkeep, and bring value to your home. We have plenty of happy customers that prove our Nelsen and Watts Water Softeners with Clack Control Valves do just that.